Today is the first Sunday in the Season of Lent. The purpose of Lent, on the deepest level, is self-awareness. It is about us being aware of ourselves. Lent precedes Easter because Easter, on the deepest level, is an awareness of who God is and what God has accomplished in Jesus. In order for the Church to grasp the wonder of God's salvation, it must be aware of the nature of the human race that God seeks to save.
Human culture is grounded in violence, exclusion, and casting-out. Human culture even cast out God when God was revealed on earth in Christ. God was cast out of the inn for lack of room. God was cast out of Israel fleeing Herod's persecution. God was cast out from his hometown. God was ultimately cast out of human life and crucified.
Images of God often reflect nothing more than a projection of the human propensity to cast out. God is perceived as arbitrary and capricious, reducing religion to the process of running around trying to figure out how to appease God. God not only does not cast out; God seeks the redemption of those who cast God out, and continues to seek re-entry into our lives when we cast out God.
Supporting the work and mission of Caney Spring United Methodist Church and Berlin United Methodist Church, two churches partnered in the ministry of making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world, located in Marshall County, Tennessee.
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